In 12th century Ireland, Orlagh has been Seer to her king for forty years. He doesn’t want to hear her prophecies of war and destruction, and dismisses her efforts to warn him. Therefore, she is determined to fulfill her own quest: to find a worthy heir for her magical brooch.

In the course of events, she must pass judgment on a thief, escape a Norman war camp, and battle wits with a Fae lord. She receives some prophecy of her own and enlists the help of a grizzled old warrior, who happens to be a long–time friend.

Excerpt:

As they entered the bustling market, many vendors and shoppers taking advantage of the rare bright winter day, Orlagh saw more soldiers than normal. Cu-Uladh went off on an errand of his own while she bought some items at the tanners. He returned shortly with a smug grin.

“I’ve something for you.” He rooted in the leather pouch on his belt and came up with something that shone in the sun.

Holding it up, Orlagh saw a gleaming green stone. He handed it to her and she peered closely at the swirling surface.

“It’s Connemara green marble, so the man says. I thought you used so many different things in your poultices and potions, a legendary stone might be of use to you.”

It was absolutely silly to feel tears burn behind her eyes. She swallowed them and nodded at him.

“Thank you for the gift, Cu-Uladh. It was a kind thought.”

He grinned, showing a missing canine. “I’m glad you like it. That’s not my only gift, though.”

She raised her brows. “Oh?”

“A gift of knowledge, as it were.”

“Do tell. Or do I have to beat it out of you?”

He laughed deep and long. “I’d love to see you try! No, no beating necessary. I have information related to what you’ve told the Chief.”

Orlagh looked around in alarm. “Cu-Uladh! This is not the place to be speaking of such things!”

“It’s no secret, truly. It’s common knowledge around here now. We’ve been away several days, but the gossip is everywhere. The Normans are coming north. Most bets are on them coming here.”

“Here? Blast it all to the deepest hell. Why did I have to be right?”

“Well, it’s a good thing you were. My Chief was in no mood to muster his soldiers without that particular Vision from you. At one point, he spoke of leaving, but between the rumors and your own words, he had no choice. He’s at least pulled in favors and has called on a few allies to help. With luck, they’ll be here before the Norman army.”

“Army? How many are marching then?”

“No one is certain, but the rumors say over four hundred men, but who knows.”

A glimpse of bright colors made her steady her gaze. Several well-dressed men had entered the market. One in particular she recognized when he stopped dead in front of her.

An Dunn Sléibhe stood with his arms crossed over his chest, with the Bishop looming behind him. “So you return, Orlagh. I’d wondered if you’d gone off forever.”

Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon, is an author, artist and accountant. After she failed to become an airline pilot, she quit her ceaseless pursuit of careers that begin with ‘A’, and decided to concentrate on her writing. Since she has Project Completion Disorder, she is one of the few authors with NO unfinished novels.

Christy has her hands in many crafts, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing, and photography. In real life, she’s a CPA, but having grown up with art all around her (her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected her, as it were.

She wants to expose the incredible beauty in this world, hidden beneath the everyday grime of familiarity and habit, and share it with others. She uses characters out of time and places infused with magic and myth.

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Author Interview with Christy:

What inspired you to write this novel? Where did the idea come from?

My grandmother recently passed away at age 97. We lived with her until I was eight, so we were very close, and she was an artist. She instilled in me a love of creation that lives on through my art and my writing. Also, I wanted to empower older women and give them the chance to save the world! I was tired of all the Chosen Ones being Tweens and Young Adults. Give the older women a chance!

What is your favourite book of the series?

Usually the last one I’ve written. I try to improve both my craft and my storytelling with each subsequent instalment. I just finished writing book six in the series, Misfortune of Time. I did a lot of research on that one, especially into the effects of domestic abuse. The main character must escape a horrible situation, but cannot quite do so until she’s forced, because she wants to protect her grandson.

Do you have a dream cast for your characters? If so, who?

I think Dame Judi Dench would be perfect for playing Orlagh! She’s an older actress, short, feisty, and not afraid to speak her mind. And I would love someone old and crotchety – maybe Malcolm McDowell – for Cu-Uladh. Someone who can emote incredibly without saying a word, and could play a grizzled world-weary soldier.

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Uh, how long have you got? I’ve already been to several of my bucket list places, such as Ireland, Scotland and Iceland, but I’ve still got Patagonia on my list, Greece, Japan, and Norway. In truth, I’d be perfectly happy traveling all my life and never having a home to come back to. However, until I win the lottery (or my books become blockbusters!) I must satisfy myself with occasional jaunts into foreign lands. I’ve just started learning basic Norwegian, though!

What are you writing now?

I’m working on something a little different. It’s set in 1992 Miami… and time slips into 1104 Iceland. It involves both a hurricane and a volcano, so it’s definitely not a sleeper! My working title for it is ‘Through Storm and Fire’ and I’m about a third through the first draft. I have more research to do on Icelandic medieval sorcery, though.

The Druid’s Brooch Series

Misfortune of Vision is book 4 in the series, but each novel works as a stand-alone, so there is no need to read them in order. Each one goes back further in time, and I have all nine planned out already. The last book (first chronologically) will reveal the true nature and origin of the Druid’s Brooch, a magical family heirloom passed down through each novel.